BornEntrepreneur

Something happened to me today that made me happy that I’m not a 100% full time entrepreneur quite yet. I was asked to attend a meeting to represent our company in a presentation by a potential partner. The services offered by the company turned out to be a bust, and something that doesn’t really help our company that much. So from a company-side it was a waste of time. From a personal growth side, however, it was worth every minute. See, the presenter turned out to be the CEO of $40million company. It was me, him, and 2 others. Good experience for sure. If I was not affiliated with the company I’m working for, I never would have had the opportunity to expose myself to the dynamic of this meeting. I try to pick out things from encounters like this that will help me so that as I grow my own company I’m better prepared to handle myself. FYI: This was a very posh office, in downtown—fancy to the nth degree.

What I learned from the encounter:

1. When the secretary asks you for coffee at the beginning of the meeting, take her up on it, even if you’re not feeling it at the time. Because you never know when a seemingly brief meeting is going to last 2.5 hours and your inadvertent afternoon yawns start kicking in.
2. The dynamics of power are heavily influenced by the seating orientation of the room. Before you’re quick to sit in the first chair you come across, think twice, and make a smart planned decision. This may seem silly, but in the case of this meeting, I’m convinced that one person in the meeting attracted a stronger bond with the CEO simply because of the close proximity she was to his desk. (We were all seated at a table perpendicular to his desk)
3. Branded materials are important. They’re not just fodder. When he handed me a printed copy of his presentation enclosed in a snazzy folder with his logo professionally embossed across the front, it felt classy. $40million classy. Image is everything. (Or close to it)
4. Turn off the cell phone. I know you’ve heard it before, but seriously come on now. The woman next to me had her cell phone go off not once, but twice. It was a distraction to the meeting. I had turned mine to vibrate.
5. Before the CEO started the presentation he spent the first 20mins of the meeting getting to know us. “Tell me about yourself,” he said. I thought it was kind of silly in the beginning, but found that it made for a more impactful, meaningful meeting overall. It also helps to build a level of warm comfortability in the setting—which is a great ice breaker.

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